Legal Officer at Umma University

REF: VA/UU/019/07/2023

EDUCATION QUALIFICATION

• A first level university degree in law with a relevant combination of academic qualifications and experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Must be an Advocate of the High Court and an active member of the Law Society of Kenya.

WORK EXPERIENCE

• At least 4 years of progressively responsible professional legal experience is required in the practice of law in a government or a law firm with a substantial experience in administrative, commercial and / or criminal law matters.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• To conduct legal analysis and research on various legal matters of the institution.
• To provide advice on different legal issues and assist in drafting legal opinions, memoranda and other briefing documents
• To assist in reviewing the legal material and any other relevant documents and to identify the most important issues that need to be sorted out on a priority basis
• To draw up formalities regarding the settlement of disputes and monitor the implementation of the legal clauses. Essential Skills and Abilities
• Should possess excellent analytical, researching and drafting skills.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to take good decisions based on judgment are absolutely essential.
• He/she should be able to function without anybody’s supervision and should be able to deal appropriately with the confidential information.
• He / she should be an excellent team player with the ability to prioritize work, especially when some deadlines need to be met.
• He / she should be keep himself / herself updated with all the legal laws and should be able to apply them in the given situation.
• High attention to detail.
• Strong negotiation skills.
• Ability to prepare complex legal documents.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide Legal Advice -Using oral or written platforms, will be expected to brief team of staff members on legal issues, potential liabilities and possible courses of actions. This involves translating complicated legal jargon into language which everyone can understand, as well as taking all possible legal problems into consideration before making any recommendations. All recommendations which the Legal Officer makes must be in complete compliance with the law, and must also strive to minimize risk for the institution.
• Process Documents -Will frequently need to write and review settlement documents, contracts, agreements and more. This task makes up of a significant portion of the day-to-day work and requires both focus and precision.
• Perform Research - To continuously research legal resources such as articles, codes, statutes, judicial decisions and more. Doing so will allow the Legal Officer to stay up to date on all current laws and make well-educated legal recommendations.
• Identify Risks- To regularly analyze the actions and decisions of the institution in order to identify problem areas, suggest alternative courses of action and mitigate risk as much as possible.
• Direct Staff- To direct all claim adjusters, liability attorneys and management. With proper leadership, the legal staff can proceed with clarity, efficiency and confidence and hopefully resolve the matter swiftly.

OTHER SPECIFIC DUTIES

• Review, advise on and draft contracts, agreements, institutional and operational modalities and other
• Legal documents, as necessary, develop new legal modalities to meet unique needs / circumstances.
• Review investigation reports and provide legal opinion to the Vice-Chancellor on matters of conduct and discipline implementation or any breaches of the institution’s rules and regulations.
• Participate in negotiations and settlement of claims and disputes.
• Represent the institution in judicial, arbitral or administrative proceedings.
• Provide guidance to and may supervise, more junior staff on straight forward matters
• Any other activity deemed appropriate by the Council and Management

CORE COMPETENCIES

Professionalism-Knowledge of and ability to apply legal principles, concepts and procedures and terminology for review, examination and processing of a range of legal documents.

This will include:

• Knowledge of various legal research sources, including electronic and ability to conduct research and analyze information on a wide range of legal issues impacting on the university.
• Ability to draft legal papers and work under pressure; Ability to apply good legal judgement in the context of assignments given; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations.
• Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all arrears of work.
• Team work- works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve institutional goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others, places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.
• Planning and organizing – develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.
• Client Orientation- considers all those to whom services are provide to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gain- ing their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions ; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects , meets timeline for delivery of services to client .